Enzo Maresca: Is Chelsea gambling on inexperience?

Chelsea has entered the market for a new manager for the fourth time in the last 18 months.

Though their expensively assembled team underperformed this season, the Blues were not expected to be in the market for a new coach after a brilliant end to the season that saw them finish in sixth place. 

However, a reported disagreement between the club's board, led by the trigger-happy Todd Boehly, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino led to the club mutually parting ways with the Argentine.

At this point, it is safe to say that the Todd Boehly Stamford Bridge project is becoming a circus, and Chelsea Football Club is now a laughingstock in the Premier League. 

Pochettino is not the first name Chelsea has hired since Boehly acquired the club. Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, and Graham Potter have all tried and failed to make the Chelsea project work, and now, the London side is back on the drawing board.

Several names have emerged as candidates to lead Chelsea next season, with recently disengaged Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna two out of several names linked to the vacant Stamford Bridge seat. 

Another man the Chelsea chiefs admire is Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca. According to reports, the Italian has agreed to become Chelsea boss and will sign a five-year deal in the coming days.

Moving from Pochettino, a coach with a proven record in the Premier League and a league title winner with Paris Saint-Germain, looks like a big mistake for Chelsea. 

Some fans argue the move resembles the Blues sacking Thomas Tuchel for Graham Potter.

However, there appears to be a reason Maresca Is the man Todd Boehly and co. have chosen to lead the Chelsea project. 

But what makes the 44-year-old the best coach out there for Chelsea? 

What has Chelsea seen in him that sets him apart from other coaches?

Playing Style 

One of the first things that attracted Enzo Maresca to Chelsea is that his team has a certain playing style.

The Blues’ decision to bin Pochettino may seem cruel, especially as the former Tottenham manager seemingly got the hang of things before he was chopped. 

However, Chelsea have made a decision they feel best suits them at this time and at the core of their decision to bin Pochettino and hire Maresca is that the latter has a clear playing style. Under Pochettino, there was no clear-cut football style. 

Although under Pochettino, the Blues often saw a lot of the ball, it was hard to pinpoint Chelsea's style of play. There is no doubt that they had times when things clicked, especially towards the end of the season, but for much of the campaign, they were disorganised. 

But with Maresca, Chelsea tickets holders and matchgoers can be sure of what to get. The Italian is a disciple of Pep Guardiola's kind of football, which emphasises possession, patient build-up and playing out from the back.

Like his mentor Guardiola, the Leicester boss is wedded to his football philosophy and style. He lives or dies by it. 

This is exemplified in his clash with Leicester fans, who questioned his style and lack of plan B between February and April when the Foxes were struggling. But Maresca stuck to his style rather than tweaking or changing his method. 

Ultimately, his method has proven successful as he led Leicester to the Championship title.

Young manager

After the decision to sever ties with Pochettino was made public, it was clear from Chelsea's body language that the profile of the head coach that they wanted to replace him with must be young.

After two years of instability and what appears to be trial and error, the Blues want to patiently build their own identity with a young visionary manager, just like Arsenal are successfully doing with Mikel Arteta, another Pep protegee. The Leicester coach is just 44 and falls under the category of a young coach. 

The Stamford Bridge club have also agreed to tweak a part of their hiring policy and is willing to give Maresca a long contract. According to The Telegraph, the Italian will put pen to paper on a five-year deal in west London, with the option of a further season.

The decision is a huge departure from Chelsea’s previous approach with Pochettino. The ex-boss signed an initial two-year contract with the club, with the option for an extra season.

The new policy is to give the club some more stability after two seasons of turbulence, both behind the scenes and in the dressing room. 

Less Coach Power

Another reason Chelsea has chosen Maresca is that they want a coach who will accept the club's current structure. One of the principal tensions of Pochettino's tenure was the Argentine's desire for more power over decision-making at the expense of sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

Chelsea wants Maresca to work with the team upstairs rather than being the big elephant in the room. Indications are that he has agreed to stick to coaching while the club supplies the needed players and infrastructure.

But how this will work remains to be seen, as the Italian is not one to shy away from confrontation with club chiefs. While he was at Leicester, he frequently openly questioned the Foxes’ board.

For example, after Leicester was promoted to the Premier League, Maresca aimed a dig at chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha for failing to mention the club's mounting financial issues, which may result in a record Premier League points deduction next season.

The Italian is not one to shy away from necessary conflict, so we might see some backroom disharmony over the coming months.

A Big Gamble

Despite ticking all the boxes with his age, playing style and acceptance of the working conditions in Stamford Bridge, Maresca to Chelsea remains a big gamble that may or may not work.

The Italian, though highly rated, is still very inexperienced and may crumble under the pressure of a big club like Chelsea.

His managerial CV is criminally scanty. He will take charge at Stamford Bridge after just 67 managerial games and one full season in English football with Leicester City in the Championship. 

He has zero Premier League managerial experience, as his only exposure in the top flight came as Pep Guardiola's assistant.

Although he led Leicester to promotion, his detractors insist that he had the most expensive squad in Championship history at his disposal. But even that achievement is no guarantee for success in the top flight, with Vincent Kompany recently proving that a good ball-playing, title-winning Championship team does not translate to Premier League success.

However, unlike Kompany at Burnley, Maresca will be working with a bigger, more talented team and will likely not be in a relegation struggle. 

Yet, the expectations will be higher at Stamford Bridge, with a top-four finish as the minimum requirement next season. 

Chelsea's Commitment 

Chelsea will need to back him in the transfer market, though. Maresca will certainly require a ball-playing goalkeeper, as that is absolutely vital to making his system work. 

None of the current options at Stamford Bridge—Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, or the returning Kepa Arrizabalaga—are good enough to consistently be involved in the build-up.

Elsewhere, the Italian will have to figure out how to fit Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez into the same midfield as the pair didn't work under Pochettino, while a place also has to be found for Romeo Lavia, who has yet to play up to two games for Chelsea since he joined last year.

However, one player who may blossom even further under Maresca is Cole Palmer. The Englishman was undoubtedly Chelsea's most important player under Pochettino, and he is likely to crash that tag under Maresca and become his chief creator.

Both men are familiar with each other as the Italian oversaw Palmer's progression from youth prospect to first-team player at Manchester City as their Elite Development Squad manager.

The tools are already in place, bar a few additions and changes to the squad, and Maresca to Chelsea looks like a good match. 

However, whether the Italian can guide the Blues to the heights he enjoyed at the King Power Stadium is a major talking point. 

That said, the Stamford Bridge club will have to give him time to get Chelsea to play the football their owners desire. They cannot be hasty with Maresca. If they are convinced of his abilities, they must trust the process.

In all, Chelsea needs this gamble to work out long-term, as Maresca is the fourth permanent manager of the Clearlake Capital era.